Illuminated handbag

ABSTRACT

A ladies&#39;&#39; handbag apparatus having inside compartments which may be illuminated by an electrical light circuit having a plurality of light bulbs which may be selectively or simultaneously switched on for lighting individual compartments of the handbag. The switch is actuated by a rotatable clasp for latching the handbag closed so that the lights in the handbag will be turned off when the bag is in its normally closed position and turned on when the clasp is rotated to its normally open position for the handbag.

I United States Patent 1111 3,609,341

[72] Invento i ky C- Clfl fi 2,691,091 10/1954 Straeter 240/6.45 l' 704 North Lake Plwlnt RM, m 3,239,658 3/1966 Castaldo 240/645 P fl a-3.2 03 [2 l] AWL No. 2,793 Pmnary Examiner-Lows R Prmce [22] Filed h. 14 1970 Assistant Exammer-Fredenck Shoon Attorne -Duckworth and Hobb 4s Patented Sept. 28, 1971 Y y [54] ILLUMINATED HANDBAG 7 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

U.S. P, A iadie handbag a aratus haying inside com- 200/52, 2001 U3 partments which may be illuminated by an electrical light cir- [5 1] Int. Cl...,. A451: 15/06 cuit having piuramy f light bu"); which may 5; Mai l i501 0f 240/6-45, simuiianeousiy switched on for individual compan. LB, 52 ments of the handbag. The switch is actuated by a rotatable clasp for latching the handbag closed so that the lights in the [56] R'hrenm cited handbag will be turned off when the bag is in its normally UNITED STATES PATENTS closed position and turned on when the clasp is rotated to its K mkel et al 240/6.45 P normally open position for the handbag.

1 ILLUMINA'IEI) HANDBAG BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to handbags and in particular to ladies handbags adapted to be illuminated and especially to a ladies handbag that is adapted to have individual compartments in the handbag illuminated separately.

It has been suggested in the past to provide ladies handbags, pocketbooks or purses with an illuminating light so that when the handbag is opened the lady can see the contents in her handbag and can easily find a door or car key, or the like, therein. However, many handbags have separated compartrnents in them and the lights provided do not satisfactorily illuminate all parts of the pocketbook. Handbags, pocketbooks and purses are referred to interchangeably herein to mean those containers normally carried by ladies for keeping miscellaneous items that may be needed by the lady, such as money, credit cards, house and car keys, makeup, and the like. One prior art lighted handbag has been suggested by the present inventor, US Pat. No. 3,239,658 for LADIES PURSE LIGHT WITH MAGNETIC SWITCH in which a magnetic switch is utilized to automatically turn the light inside the pocketbook on when the pocketbook is opened and off when it is closed. It has also been suggested in the past to provide a lighting mechanism for a handbag which can be easily removed from the handbag, and it has also been suggested to provide a pocketbook in which the fastening catch for closing the bag has been devised as a slide switch for switching an electric light on and ofi.

Finally, it has been suggested to provide a ladies handbag with a flashlight which broadly diffuses light for illuminating the insideof a ladys purse while having a removable portion for providing a narrow light beam such as may be needed to locate a keyhold. One of the most common types of handbags provided in todays market is closed by-having a flap connected to one or forming part of one side of the handbag and which may be pulled across the other side of the handbag latched with a clasp to close the bag. The clasp typically will have an elongated member attached perpendicular to a rotatable shaft connected'to-the outside of the handbag and the flap will have an elongated slot adapted to receive the clasp member which is then rotated to latch the bag closed. The prior art has not provided the handbag illuminating device readily adaptable with this type of handbag and the present invention has an object to provide a handbag on the flap and clasp type with an illuminating lamp inside in which rotatable clasp may be used for the switch for the lamp. Another disad vantage of the prior art is that many handbags today have separate compartments and the lamp of illuminated handbags leaves a portion or all of the compartments shaded from the illuminating lamp, thus negating some of the advantages of having an illuminated pocketbook. Accordingly, one of the advantages of the present invention is that more than one compartment may be illuminated by separate lamp means, which may be simultaneously orselectively actuated to illuminate the compartments within the handbag.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a lighted purse having a rotatable camming shaft forming part of the latching mechanism for actuating an electrical switch having a plurality of contacts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION closed position. The handbag has a rotatable clasp for use in latching and unlatching the bag and a plurality of electrical lamps located so as to illuminate the inside of a plurality of compartments in the bag. A switch is provided which is connected between the lamps in a source of electricity and is used to switch the lamps on and off simultaneously or selectively. The switch is actuated by the rotatable clasp which has a shaft with a camming knob thereon for moving contacts together when rotated to the proper position. Thus, the compartments of a handbag maybe illuminated when the handbag is opened and may be disengaged from the source of electricity when the handbag is closedfA plurality of contacts is provided for the camming knob to engage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from a study of the written description and the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ladies handbag in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 22 of FIG. 1 and illustrates the operation of the claspand the electrical switches; i

FIGS. 3 and 4 are the same as FIG. 2 except illustrating the switches in different positions; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an electrical circuit in accordance with the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 shows a ladies handbag 10 having exterior covering 11 and opening framework 12 for opening the bag 12 and having a flap 13 with an elongated slot 14 therein connected to one side of the outer cover 11 and adapted to extend over the opening frame 12 to the other side thereof. A clasp mechanism 13 which has a base portion 16 an elongated clasping portion 17 and a shaft 18. Flap 13 closes and latches the bag extending over frame 12 and the slot 14 fitting over the eiongated member 17 totating the shaft 18 and elongated member 17 to latch the bag closed. Handbag 10 can also be seen having a dividing member 20 which divides the handbag into at least two compartments and one lamp 21 can be seen in this view connected to an electrical circuit at 22.

Referring now to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the operation of the clasp mechanism 15 and switch mechanism for the lamp 21 is illustrated in these views with an elongated member 17 connected to shaft 18. Shaft 18 also has a camming knob 23 thereon located inside of the face cover 16. Shaft 18 is rotatably held by a narrowed portion 24 and a flange 25. A pair of electrical contacts 26 and 27 are held by insulating material 28 and are adapted to provide contact with electrical spring contacts 30 and 31 respectively. Spring contacts 30 and 31 are fixedly attached to the insulating material but are flexible so that cam 23 may engage the spring contact 30 or 31 driving it to contact 26 or 27. An electrical conductor 32 is connected to both contacts 26 and 27 in these views but it will be clear that they could be connected by separate electrical conductors depending upon the particular circuits desired. Similarly contacts 30 and 31 are connected to conductors 33 and 34. As can bee seen from these figures, rotation of the elongated bar 17 of clasp mechanism 15 will rotate the shaft 18 and camming knob 23 and the proper location for cam spring contacts 30 or 31 against their respective contacts 26 or 27, but that only one spring contact 30 or 31 will be engaged at a time. Thus, when the pocketbook is in an open position as shown in FIG. 1, member 17 is aligned with the slot 14 of FIG. 1 and camming knob 23 has closed the switch contacts 25 with 30 turning one or both lamps in pocketbook 10 on. If shaft 18 is rotated at degrees, member 17 will be in alignment with slot 14 with the pocketbook still being in an open position and contacts 27 and 31 brought together to close the circuit activating one or both lamps in the purse 10.

FIG. 2 shows contacts 26 and 30 closed. FIG. 3 shows both switches open, and member 17 turned in its latching position for latching the pocketbook and FIG. 4 shows contact 31 made with contact 27.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a schematic diagram is shown having a battery 34 connected to a pair of lamps 35 and 36. Lamp 36 is connected to contact 26 and lamp 35 is connected to contact 27, and when the rotating switch 37 is in the position as shown in FIG. 2, lamp 36 will be illuminated. n the other hand, the switch 37 is rotated to contact 27 shown in FIG. 4 lamp 35 is illuminated. Thus conductor 32 is shown to be a common connection to the battery 34 whereas conductors 33 and 34 are the respective conduxtors as illustrated in FIGS. 2 through 4. A dashed line 38 is shown connecting conductors 34 and 33 whereby switch 37 in either position would actuate both lamps 35 and 36. It will be clear of course that either the embodiment with 38 or without 38 can be used or alternatively, means could be provided for switching from one circuit to the other as desired by the possessor of the handbag.

It will be clear at this point that a ladies illuminated handbag has provided which is adapted to illuminate a plurality of compartments in a handbag either selectively or simultaneously and that a switch has been provided for use with flap and clasp type handbags and especially adapted for switching the lamps in the handbags on from one of several open positions for the clasp. However, this invention is not to be construed as limited to the particular forms disclosed herein since these are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.

I claim:

1. A ladies handbag adapted to have inside compartments illuminated comprising in combination:

a. a ladies handbag having a plurality of compartments therein;

b. said handbag having a rotatable clasp for latching and unlatching said handbag;

c. a plurality of electrical lamps located to illuminate the inside of a plurality of compartments of said handbag;

d. switch means coupled between said lamps and a source of electricity and adapted to switch said lamps on and off; and

c. said switch means being actuated by said rotatable clasp whereby said compartments of said handbag may be illuminated when said handbag is opened and said lamp may be disengaged from said source of electricity when said handbag is closed.

2. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said plurality of electrical light sources are switched on and off simultaneously.

3. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said plurality of light sources are adapted to be switched on selectively.

4. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said handbag has a flap for said clasp to latch to to hold said handbag closed.

5. The apparatus in accordance with claim 4 in which said handbag has two light sources.

6. The apparatus in accordance with claim 5 in which said flap has a slot therein for receiving a portion of said clasp therethrough whereby rotation of said clasp while in said flap slot with latch said flap to one side of said handbag.

7. The apparatus in accordance with claim 6 in which said rotatable clasp has a shaft with a cam knob thereon for actuating one of plurality of contacts where said clasp is rotated to predetermined positions. 

1. A ladies'' handbag adapted to have inside compartments illuminated comprising in combination: a. a ladies'' handbag having a plurality of compartments therein; b. said handbag having a rotatable clasp for latching and unlatching said handbag; c. a plurality of electrical lamps located to illuminate the inside of a plurality of compartments of said handbag; d. switch means coupled between said lamps and a source of electricity and adapted to switch said lamps on and off; and e. said switch means being actuated by said rotatable clasp whereby said compartments of said handbag may be illuminated when said handbag is opened and said lamp may be disengaged from said source of electricity when said handbag is closed.
 2. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said plurality of electrical light sources are switched on and off simultaneously.
 3. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said plurality of light sources are adapted to be switched on selectively.
 4. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said handbag has a flap for said clasp to latch to to hold said handbag closed.
 5. The apparatus in accordance with claim 4 in which said handbag has two light sources.
 6. The apparatus in accordance with claim 5 in which said flap has a slot therein for receiving a portion of said clasp therethrough whereby rotation of said clasp while in said flap slot with latch said flap to one sidE of said handbag.
 7. The apparatus in accordance with claim 6 in which said rotatable clasp has a shaft with a cam knob thereon for actuating one of plurality of contacts where said clasp is rotated to predetermined positions. 